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Monday, May 21, 2012

Bart Simpson #69 Reviewed

Bart Simpson #69

Bongo Comics

$2.99, 28 pgs.

Grade: 3 Stars (out of 4)

The Simpsons cartoon series has been on the air since 1989, and various comic-books
based on the semi-functional family have been published since 1993 (in addition
to the Simpsons Illustrated magazine,
which came out in 1991). So you’d think the creators would run out of ideas at
some point, right?

Wrong!

“Hoop Schemes,” the lead story in Bart Simpson #69, posits a fun and clever premise: Mr. Burns buys a
women’s professional basketball team and moves it to Springfield. The story
taps into Lisa’s feminist nature, Homer’s sexism (not to mention his gluttonous
tendencies), and Mr. Burns’ evilness (which borders on mad scientist-like
behavior here).

The second half of this double feature is an agreeable little yarn
called “…Bart Simpson Shall Do My Bidding,” which finds Sideshow Bob in prison,
controlling Bart Simpson (who eats his own shorts) over the phone with a Pied
Piper-like flute.

The intermission is a ho-hum two-pager by the usually reliable (and
often great) Sergio Aragonés, best known for Groo the Wanderer and various MAD
magazine strips.

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About Me

A freelance writer, I'm the author of the Classic Home Video Games series, The 100 Greatest Console Video Games: 1977-1987, Encyclopedia of KISS, and other books. I've had articles published in numerous magazines and newspapers, including the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Filmfax, Fangoria, AntiqueWeek, The Writer, Mystery Scene, and more.
Contact me at brettw105 AT sbcglobal.net.